Skin care professionals use many tools to analyze clients’ skin. The most common is the Fitzpatrick scale. Developed in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD, the Fitzpatrick scale was created to classify a client’s reaction to the sun based on skin color, featuring a range of types from I–VI, with I being the lightest and VI being the darkest. (See Fitzpatrick Scale and Correlating Sensitivity.) The original Fitzpatrick scale stated that Fitzpatrick type VI never burned; however, it is now known that this is not the case and, regardless of color, everyone will burn at some point. Another tool is the Global Heritage Model, which differs from the Fitzpatrick scale in that it classifies how clients’ skin will respond to topical activity and UV exposure based on their hereditary background, and not simply the color of their skin.

Because numerous people are of mixed hereditary backgrounds and many color their hair, wear colored contacts and may tan, either via topical products or UV exposure, it is increasingly difficult to determine a client’s heritage based solely on appearance. This is where the Global Heritage Model comes in. (See Global Heritage Model.) This tool helps determine the skin’s response to topical stimuli based upon inherited melanocyte activity. Once you are able to determine how each client’s melanocytes are likely to react, you will be better able to choose the best treatments and ingredients to suit each and every client.

Environmental protection

Skin is designed to protect from a variety of daily environmental insults. One is DNA damage within the nuclei of the keratinocytes due to UV exposure—the end result of which is likely skin cancer. With that in mind, if you look at the environment of the polar regions of the world, it is cold and dry with very little UV exposure. Because of this, clients whose ancestors come from these regions tend to have lighter skin, hair and eyes. This has to do with both the density of the melanin produced by the melanocytes, as well as how quickly those melanocytes respond to external stimuli. Because UV exposure is less intense in these regions, the inherited melanocyte response is often slow for these individuals, meaning they are less prone to produce pigment within the skin. It is because of their less-responsive melanocytes that clients of polar-region ancestry are able to tolerate more active topical treatments—they are less likely to produce pigment due to surface stimulation. As a result, they are not as likely to develop post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) from treatments, but are more prone to developing skin cancer.

Step 1: Ask the client to complete a consultation form. Before the treatment, discuss any issues of concern regarding the form. Next, walk the client to the treatment room and ask her to lay face up on the treatment table.

Step 2: Cleanse the area to be treated thoroughly with a lactic acid-, gluconolactone- and aloe vera-based cleanser. Rinse and pat dry.

Step 3: Using a kojic and azelaic acid cleansing bar, cleanse the skin a second time. Allow the lather to remain on the skin for approximately two minutes. Remove using cotton pads dampened with warm water.

Step 4: Prep the skin with a vitamin-enhanced, alpha hydroxy toner using a cotton pad. Allow the skin to dry. Assess sensitivity by asking the client, “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being extremely active, how do you rate this sensation (or feeling)?”

Step 5: Apply a blended chemical peel solution containing TCA and lactic acid to a cotton pad. Follow manufacturer’s layering guidelines and keep in mind the needs, goals and individual sensitivity of the clients. Use the scale of one to 10 mentioned previously to gauge sensitivity.

Step 6: With a cotton swab, spot-treat specific areas of concern using a modified and enhanced Jessner’s solution containing additional lightening ingredients, such as kojic and citric acids.

Step 9: Apply a combination of a 15% L-ascorbic acid cream with an antioxidant serum to help fight against free-radical damage and promote an even skin tone.

Step 10: Apply a gentle skin-lightening product with phenylethyl resorcinol, alpha arbutin and undecylenoyl phenylalanine to the entire treatment area to encourage an even skin tone while calming and soothing the skin.

Step 11: Using a small fan brush or gloved hands, apply a thin layer of a calming balm to the area of treatment to reduce redness and soothe irritation.

Step 12: Gently apply an eye product containing peptides around the delicate eye area to reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles.

Step 13: Combine a calming hydrator with a broad-spectrum sunscreen product to soothe and protect the skin from UVA and UVB exposure.

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